Houston Area Police Concerned About Growing Use of Steroids in High Schools

Another steroid home-steroid-factory has been busted – this time in Conroe, in the northern suburbs of Houston. Â Area police believe that the demand for these drugs is beingÂ driven, at least in part, by increased use of these drugs in area high schools.

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SOUTH COUNTY - Members of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Special Investigations Unit seized illegal steroids and the equipment used to make them after serving a search warrant Monday in Spring.Officers served the warrant at a residence in the 29000 block of West Pecos River Court, SIU Lt. Phillip Cash said."We had received information regarding a possible illicit lab manufacturing suspected growth hormone steroids," Cash said.Deputies and officers with the Drug Enforcement Agency, Texas Department of Public Safety Methamphetamine Initiative Group and the Federal Bureau of Investigation not only found multitudes of homemade pills and liquids believed to be growth hormone steroids, but the equipment used to make and package the illicit drugs, Cash said."We found several pounds of powder chemicals and liquids used in the manufacturing process," Cash said. "A lot of the stuff was ready to be sold."All the seized substances were sent to the DPS lab in Houston to determine their exact chemical composition, Cash said.Investigators also found a pill press used to stamp out pills, vacuum pumps and other apparatus, he said.Clandestine laboratory equiment, including glass ware, an electronic scale and heating elements, were confiscated by the SIU, Cash said. Handwritten recipes for the steroids also were found in the home."Hundreds of small containers and small bottles with labels describing what's in the bottle were found," Cash said.No arrests have been made, but the case has been forwarded to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.Cash said that a suspect in the case has a history of selling steroids in area gyms to bodybuilders and athletes.Although steroid use doesn't appear to be a problem in Montgomery County, Cash said, it is a growing concern regarding student use in area high schools.